Orihime's Life after Death
by whackybiscuit
Summary: From the Whackybiscuit Junk Drawer. Orihime succumbs to her injuries during the final battle and dies, devastating Ichigo. Now he has to deal with the pain of his lost friend. But is death really the end for her? Warning: Spoilers for the ending! Angst!
1. The Death of Orihime Inoue

Orihime's Life after Death  
Chapter 1: The Death of Orihime Inoue  
IchigoXOrihime

 **A.N.: This is another story from my junk drawer. A bit of forewarning, there is massive Angst in this story.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Character death! Don't like, don't read! Spoilers for the final chapters!**

 _ **After Ichigo and Renji left to fight Yhwach….  
**_ **Soul King's Palace**

Rukia and the members of Xcution watched as Ichigo, with his restored Bankai, left through the portal with Renji before turning back to Orihime. The lieutenant bit down on her lip as she struggled to heal Orihime's injuries. Orihime gasped for air as she lay on the ground, her body going numb from the pain, small whimpers escaping her.

The others watched as Rukia tried in vain to heal Orihime but the extent of her wounds were severe. ' _This is bad! She's got a punctured lung and she's going into shock! And she's getting worse by the minute!'_ She ran a hand soothingly through Orihime's orange hair to try to comfort her, letting her know she was doing her best to save her. "Stay with me, Orihime," she said, though she cursed herself for not putting more strength into her words.

"Rukia…" Orihime groaned. Ginjo and Tsukishima knelt down on her opposite side while Yukio and Riruka hopped out of their dimensional block, rushing over to see what the commotion was. Riruka gasped when she saw Orihime and ran to her, holding her hand tightly as she watched Rukia try to save her.

But the glow from Rukia's hands was too weak; she was already at her limit from running from the sharpshooter Quincy plus the pummeling she took from the giant. In her present condition her spirit energy was too low to properly heal her. Rukia looked desperately at the members of Xcution. "Can't any of you help? Please!" She wished Captain Unohana was still alive but Kenpachi reported that he'd killed her and Isane was missing, either dead or wounded, after being hit by the sharpshooter Quincy, leaving Orihime with nobody who could heal her since her own power was ineffective thanks to Yhwach's The Almighty.

But the four shook their heads with sadness, Tsukishima taking hold of her neglected hand and holding it gently. "I'm afraid that none of us have the ability to heal, Rukia. I'm sorry…" he said, looking at the wounded girl and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Stay strong, Orihime," he told the girl he'd once brainwashed. "Ichigo will return soon."

By now Orihime's chest heaved as she struggled for air, "Ru…Rukia…" she whimpered.

Rukia's violet eyes were tearing up as she struggled in vain to save her friend. ' _I have…to save her! She's my friend! Come on!'_ She clenched her teeth as her spirit energy ran out, the glow in her hands fading. ' _COME ON! I HAVE TO SAVE HER!'_ She took a deep breath, fear dripping from her shaking body. "Orihime…."

"It's…okay, Rukia…" Orihime said. "I…I was able to fight next to Ichigo." With what strength she had left she reached up and removed her hairpins, giving them to Rukia. "Please, give these to Ichigo."

"Don't say that!" Rukia lifted Orihime's head up and held her, unable to fight back the tears now. "You're not going to die!" The members of Xcution looked at the dying Orihime with sadness, the group having come to like the girl, even Tsukishima.

Orihime's vision started to blur, her life flashing before her eyes. ' _I wonder…will I see Sora and Ulquiorra?'_ she wondered, remembering when her brother was sent to the Soul Society and when Ulquiorra faded into dust. Her hazel eyes glanced to the portal. She knew that Ichigo would not return before the end came for her. ' _My only wish is that I wanted to tell Ichigo how I felt.'_ Her mind wandered for a moment, contemplating on what the future could've been for her and Ichigo. She imagined her in a white wedding dress, surrounded by her friends as she and Ichigo married, holding their child after giving birth and living a happy life. ' _It was a nice dream….'_

"Ru…Rukia…."

Sobbing, Rukia nodded. "Yes?"

"Please…tell Ichigo…I'm so sorry…."

"You have nothing to be sorry about!" Rukia said, her hand on the girl's heart, feeling Orihime's heartbeat growing weaker. "You can't die! You just can't!"

Orihime's vision darkened and she gave a weak smile. "Please…tell Ichigo…that I l…I love…I love…."

Riruka gasped in horror as Orihime's hand let go of hers, Tsukishima letting go and turning away. Both Ginjo and Yukio bowed their heads in respect at her passing. Turning away, Riruka started to sob in despair. She never openly admitted that she liked Orihime but now….

Rukia's lips trembled as the light in Orihime's eyes faded, her friend breathing her last. "No…"she whispered. "Orihime! NO!" She began to cry as she held her friend, wishing this was just a bad dream. "ORIHIME! NOOOOO!" She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the warmth leave Orihime's body. "How can I ever face Ichigo again?" she sobbed.

Footsteps echoed from behind them and the members of Xcution turned to see Chad, Ganju, Byakuya, Toshiro and Kenpachi running up the steps. Chad's eyes widened in horror at the scene before him. "Rukia…Orihime…." He ran over to the group and took hold of Orihime's hand, only for him to realize that his friend was gone. The others walked over to them and gathered around the fallen Human, none of them knowing what to say.

Rukia did nothing but cry as she held her friend, knowing that even if Ichigo defeated Yhwach, this would not be a victorious day…."Orihime…."

 _ **Later….**_

 __Ichigo, Renji and Uryu stepped through the portal, having finally defeated Yhwach. Ichigo smiled to see everyone right in front of the portal. "Byakuya! Kenpachi! You're all okay!"

"That's up for debate," the one-armed Kenpachi grumbled.

But the trio noticed Chad, Ganju and the others looking at Ichigo with sad eyes. The Substitute looked at everyone funny. "What's wrong, guys?"

Rukia, still on her knees, turned to Ichigo. The girl's eyes were red from crying. "Ichigo…she's…she's gone…."

The boy blinked before walking over to her, and then feeling his heart being ripped out of his chest when his eyes saw the lifeless body of Orihime. "No!" Ichigo shoved everyone out of the way and knelt down; not believing what was in front of him. "Orihime!" He cradled her, thinking that she was in a coma or just asleep. But he felt no life from her, either physically or spiritually. He turned to Rukia with accusing eyes. "What happened?! Why didn't you save her?!"

Rukia's lip trembled and she stared at her knees in shame. "I'm sorry. I couldn't save her. Her injuries were too severe."

"NO!" Ichigo screamed, looking up at everyone, hoping that one of them had some last ditch technique that could save her. But Byakuya and the others shook their heads. When his eyes turned to Mayuri, even the mad scientist gave a disapproving look, as if telling him that bringing Orihime back to life was beyond him. His tears dripped down onto Orihime's face as he wept for his friend, the boy holding her tightly. "Don't go, Orihime…" he cried, wishing her eyes would open. ' _I never got the chance to tell her how I felt….'_

Uryu, Chad and Ganju all turned away as Ichigo cried, knowing that there was nothing they could do to lessen Ichigo's pain. Isshin, who'd joined the group shortly before Ichigo had arrived, knelt down and put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. But the boy shrugged him off and continued to cry over Orihime's lifeless body. Finally, the boy threw his head back and a loud cry filled the air. "ORIHIME!" The Soul Reapers and Xcution left him to grieve, leaving only his friends and father standing over him while he mourned her.

Ichigo had won the battle but in the end for him there was no victory….

Orihime Inoue was dead.

To be continued


	2. Despair in the Rain

Chapter 2: Despair in the Rain

 **A.N.: I know, I'm horrible…. I cranked the angst to ten and then removed the knob for this story, so if you don't like, don't read then.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Angst!  
**

_**Days Later….  
**_ **Soul Society; Squad Six**

Byakuya stared out the window, watching the rain. It'd been raining ever since the fighting stop, as if the world was trying to cleanse itself of the carnage that had unfolded. The stoic man let out a sigh as he watched the deluge continue. So many were dead or missing….

The door opened behind him and he heard Renji walk in. "Captain, are you alright?" his lieutenant asked.

Turning around, Byakuya shook his head. "No, Renji. After everything that's happened, I don't think most of us will be alright for a long time. How go the rebuilding efforts?" he asked, sitting down at his desk and scribbling on some papers.

Renji scratched the back of his head. "Well, we've been digging through the rubble and we've been pulling out survivors but mostly everyone's been treated. For now, we're still trying to get a head count of the casualties. The other lieutenants are resting at Squad Four right now. Lieutenants Hisagi, Kotetsu, Omaeda and Third-Seats Kiyone and Sentarou are all being treated but…they're still listed as in critical condition. Lieutenants Hinamori and Matsumoto are recuperating at their barracks along with Captain Hitsugaya. We've received word that Captain Kurotsuchi has returned to the R&D department as well and has secluded himself in his lab."

Scowling, Byakuya nodded. "And the remaining captains?"

"All recuperating at Squad Four, sir. Although…Captain Komamura is gone, sir. Lieutenant Iba reported that he left the Seireitei after the fighting."

Setting down his pen, Byakuya looked up and noticed how worn out his lieutenant was. "And what of Rukia?"

Silence filled the room before he spoke, "She's in Karakura Town, sir. She went to go to Orihime Inoue's funeral." He looked away when he remembered the sight of Ichigo crying his eyes out over his friend's fallen form. "Ichigo…we haven't gotten word from him yet. He seems to have taken her death harder than anyone expected."

Byakuya nodded. "Words left unsaid can leave wounds deeper than any blade can carve." He suspected that the two had feelings for one another, or at least that Orihime had feelings for Ichigo, so for things to end as tragically as they did made the matter all the more painful. Byakuya knew this better than Renji, remembering how Hisana died. "For the time being, we should let him grieve." He stood up and headed for the door. "We've work to do."

"Yes, Captain…." Renji followed his captain out the door, hoping that Ichigo would be alright….

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Karakura Town**

The rain came down in buckets as Tatsuki shambled down the street. She felt like her heart had been gouged out of her chest. She had been happy when Uryu and Chad called her, telling Tatsuki and her friends to meet them at Urahara Shop. But her happiness turned into utter horror when they'd informed her of all that'd happened. "Orihime! Where's Orihime?!" she demanded to know when she noticed that she was absent.

All Chad and Uryu could do was turn away.

After that, they'd let everyone know that Orihime had passed away, giving their school and the bakery that she worked at the excuse that she'd been killed in a car crash. Nobody had taken the news well, especially Tatsuki, Keigo and Chizuru. The redhead had become a sobbing mess when she heard of Orihime's death, running out of the shop screaming for her 'Hime. Tatsuki was no better, punching the wall so many times that her hand bled. Because she'd died in the Soul Society, they couldn't bring her body back to the World of the Living, leaving them to mourn over a tombstone with her name on it next to her brother's.

She noticed during Orihime's funeral that Ichigo had been notably absent and her anger grew like a raging fire. ' _Why didn't he protect her? How could he just let her die?'_ she thought miserably as she walked in the rain, not caring that she was getting soaked. Her best friend was dead and she knew who to blame.

Walking along a bridge, she stared down at the raging river. ' _I wonder…is she in the Soul Society now?'_ She had the Soul Ticket that Ichigo's friend had given her so she could see if maybe her friend had passed on, but that hope died when she reminded herself of what Uryu had told her; when a spiritual being dies, their body turns to Reishi to be reincarnated in the World of the Living and since Orihime had been in the Soul Society when she died, that meant she couldn't pass over when she was already there. ' _I'll never see her again,'_ she thought, tears dripping down her face.

Her despair was momentarily broken when she saw something on the edge of the riverbank, remembering that this was the exact same spot that Ichigo's mother died. She peered closer and realized who it was. "Ichigo!" Her teeth clenched as she ran across the bridge, her anger building with each step.

Anger which quickly evaporated when Tatsuki got close to the boy, who was still in his torn Soul Reaper clothes. She saw that he was hunched over, sobbing while being drenched in the rain. "Ichigo…." She sat down next to him and waited. For minutes, Ichigo didn't seem to acknowledge her presence. Then, finally, he spoke two words.

"I'm sorry…."

Tatsuki stared at him, knowing that nothing she said could match what Ichigo was telling himself. In more ways than one, Ichigo was hurting much more than anyone else. Uryu had told her that Orihime had fought alongside him during the final fight and that Ichigo had been powerless to stop her from being mortally wounded. Finally, she put a hand on Ichigo's back in a soothing, comforting gesture.

Ichigo finally broke from his hunched position and threw his arms around Tatsuki, crying into her shoulder. All Tatsuki could do was hold her friend, remembering how years ago, she'd helped him do the same thing when his mom died; it was only natural to do it again when he'd lost someone else he cared about. "I'm here, Ichigo…I'm here for you…."

She didn't stop holding him until he'd calmed down. By then the rain had stopped and night had fallen. Getting to her feet, she helped Ichigo to his feet and walked next to him as he shambled off home. "You loved Orihime, didn't you?" she asked as they walked. She had to know, for Orihime's sake, since she never got the chance to express her feelings. "She loved you, you know that, right?"

Ichigo nodded, his eyes glued to the ground as more thunder boomed above them. "I did…I was planning on telling her when this was done. I thought…I thought…." He hung his head in shame. Tatsuki merely took hold of his hand and squeezed it as she led Ichigo to his door. Before she turned around to leave she gave him another warm hug. "I'm sorry, Tatsuki."

"I know. I'm here for you if you need me," she said. She watched Ichigo enter the darkened house and sighed, looking up at the night sky and wondering if any of them would ever be okay again before heading home….

Ichigo walked through the house, not caring that he was soaking wet or still in his Soul Reaper form. His father had taken his sisters out for the day, figuring that Ichigo needed to be alone right now. Ichigo shambled up the steps to his room, eyeing his human body still in bed. Even though he'd been brought back from the Soul King's Palace along with everyone else, Kon refused to speak to Ichigo after learning of Orihime's fate, opting to hang with Uryu for a while. He, like Tatsuki, had blamed Ichigo for Orihime's death.

Sitting down on his bed, Ichigo sighed before looking down at his Zangetsu blades. He'd been so happy when he reforged his zanpakuto, knowing that no matter what he'd fight with his full strength from now on. When he stepped into Yhwach's throne room, he'd been confident that he could take the Quincy King.

Now he was no longer sure his zanpakuto had a name anymore….

Yhwach had stripped Ichigo of both his Hollow and Quincy powers, so his inner hollow and Zangetsu were no longer a part of him. He had his Soul Reaper powers and he knew from the fact that he still had his blades that he could perform Bankai, though he didn't know what shape it'd be in anymore, but the facts were laid bare.

He was a shell of his former self now.

Getting back into his human body, Ichigo sat up and looked out the window, seeing the flashes of lightning light up the dark sky. He looked away, tired of the dreariness around him and looked instead at his nightstand, where Orihime's hairpins lay. Rukia had given them to him shortly after Ichigo had returned home, saying that she wanted him to have them. Ichigo stared at the hairpins, wondering if her Shun Shun Rikka still resided inside them but then dismissed the notion. The Shun Shun Rikka were Orihime's version of a zanpakuto; and a zanpakuto dies with its wielder.

Looking at the hairpins reminded of all the times he spent with Orihime, seeing her smiling, happy face. It dawned on Ichigo that during training, whenever his mind would wander it would be thoughts of Orihime that would cause him brief moments of happiness and comfort. Though he never came around to saying it, Ichigo truly did love Orihime.

And now she was gone. Like Zangetsu. Like his mother. Like so many other things Yhwach had taken from Ichigo. In death, he'd robbed the boy of perhaps the one person who mattered most to him.

Shaking his head, Ichigo reached for his combat pass and pressed it against him, popping back into his Soul Reaper form. Removing his zanpakutos, Ichigo affixed a hairpin into the pommel of each blade, wanting to carry this last piece of Orihime with him wherever he went. Returning to his human body, Ichigo laid down in bed and rested his head on the pillow, letting sleep overcome him. "Orihime…why?" he muttered before falling into the depths of sleep, letting himself dream of what might have been….

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Soul Society: Squad 12 R &D Department**

Kisuke limped down the hallways, still recovering from his ordeal after Nel had rescued him, Yoruichi, Grimmjow and Yushiro from Askin and his poison deathtrap. He would've returned to the World of the Living but Mayuri had asked that he stay to assist with analyzing the Vandenreich's technology, which surprised him. But then again, with Nemu dead and gone his old third-seat was in need of a new assistant so for the time being he'd indulged him.

He walked into a room that led into Mayuri's lab when he saw something lying on the examination table and came to a dead stop.

"What…How can this be?" he gaped.

To be continued

 **A.N.: No, Mayuri isn't bringing Orihime back to life. I will get to what Kisuke was looking at in due time.**


	3. Orihime Awakens

Chapter 3: Orihime Awakens

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Angst!**

 _ **Days Later….**_

 __For what felt like the longest time, Orihime Inoue was at peace. She felt no pain, no misery and no regrets. It was like she was slowly floating away in a sea of endless dreams. Though she had no conscious mind anymore memories of her former life slowly flashed by….

Being raised by Sora, meeting Ichigo for the first time, her friendship with Tatsuki, being saved by Ichigo from her hollowfied brother, journeying to the Soul Society to save Rukia, her almost-kiss with Ichigo, meeting Aizen and restoring Grimmjow's arm, seeing Ichigo who'd journeyed to Hueco Mundo to save her, watching him fall from the tower with a gaping hole in his chest, seeing him victorious against Aizen, her life as a baker, watching Ichigo struggle to regain his powers, going with Ichigo to save the Arrancars in Hueco Mundo, going with everyone to the Soul King's palace and finally fighting alongside Ichigo during the battle against Yhwach, where she would breathe her last.

Her thoughts turned to Ichigo and for the first time since her death she felt pain. She loved Ichigo, even in death. But she was content, somehow knowing that Ichigo had defeated Yhwach and knowing that somehow he would overcome the sadness that followed her death.

Then a voice called out to her. Who it was she had no idea, but it felt comforting, like the voice of a gentle parent. " _Orihime…."_

And then she opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed when her vision cleared was that she had returned to the exact same spot where she had died. She looked around to see the ruins of the Soul King's palace, with nobody in sight.

The second thing she noticed…was that her body wasn't all there. She looked down and saw that only her top half had formed her lower half a trail of mist, like she had become a literal version of a ghost. Her top half had no clothes, but her chest was covered by a white glow, obscuring her nudity. "Where am I?" she called out. She looked down at her hand and saw that it was transparent. "What am I?" She'd never heard of anything like this before in the time she'd come to know of spirits.

Deciding that staying here would give her no answers, Orihime floated down the steps, hoping for any signs of life. "Weird. Ichigo won. So why hasn't anyone cleaned the place up?" she wondered aloud. Her face brightened when she saw the back of one of the Squad Zero members, Osho, who was ordering a group of masked soldiers. "Excuse me! Mr. Osho! It's me, Orihime!" She reached to touch his shoulder…only for her to pass through it. "What?!"

Again and again she tried to touch the bearded monk, only for her hand to pass through him like it wasn't there at all. Sighing, Orihime floated past him and went over to the edge of the platform looking up at the night sky. She didn't know what was happening, she only knew one thing.

She just really wanted to go home.

…And then she _was_ home.

Orihime blinked in confusion when she realized that she was no longer in the Soul King's palace, but rather at her apartment. "What the? I'm home?!" she looked around at the darkened hallways and smiled. "I'm home…." She was glad to see that for now, her belongings had been untouched. But she still had no idea how she'd become a spirit that couldn't make contact with other spiritual beings or could transcend space.

She went over to the couch and floated down on top of it, not knowing what she should do. She couldn't talk to anyone so she couldn't ask what was going on with her. She only knew one thing for sure now that she was back in her own world.

She wanted to see Ichigo again.

But then a thought came to her when she realized she did not have her hairpins anymore. "I wonder…." She put her hands to her heart and concentrated with all her might. Her body glowed gold briefly before her Shun Shun Rikka sprites appeared before her. "Guys! You're ok-"

"YOU IDIOT!" Tsubaki roared in her face, trying to grab at her hair only to fly right through her. "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO AND DIE?!"

"I'm sorry," Orihime said, staring at the floor. "I tried my best but…I wasn't able to help Ichigo at all…."

"Nonsense!" Lily objected. "It was only because of you that his Bankai had been restored. Had you not been there, this world would've been doomed!"

Orihime looked up and for the first time felt better since she awoke from her eternal slumber. "Guys, do you know what's happening? Why am I like this? And how exactly are you still here if I'm dead?" she gestured to her ghostly body.

Tsubaki crossed his arms. "We've no idea. Your guess is as good as ours. But you're definitely dead, though why you're a translucent spirit is beyond me. And we are a part of you, no matter where you are, we'll always be there."

Baigon turned to speak. "Orihime, what are you gonna do?"

Her hands balled into fists as she drummed up her determination. "I want to see Ichigo. Even if he can't see me I want to see him."

Lily pointed to the door. "Well you're in luck, because he's outside your door."

Gasping, Orihime floated off the couch, her sprites disappearing, as Ichigo slid in through an unlocked window, the boy in his Soul Reaper form. Orihime smiled when she saw her friend alive and well. "Ichigo…" Despite knowing better, she reached out to touch his face, only for the boy to walk through her. "He's so close…and I can't even let him know I'm here…."

Fighting back tears, Orihime followed Ichigo as he ventured throughout her apartment, curious as to what he was doing here. She followed him until she found herself in her bedroom, watching Ichigo pick something up off her nightstand and sit on the bed, turning on the lamp to get some more light. Orihime was horrified to see that the object in Ichigo's hands was her diary. "No! Ichigo!" her hands went to her face as she looked away embarrassed. "Don't ready my diary!"

Ichigo, meanwhile, was oblivious of Orihime's presence and began to read. He'd spent all of the money he'd earned from Ikumi to pay for Orihime's apartment, wanting to keep it the way it was when she left it before she'd died for as long as possible. Every night, after finishing his patrol, he'd come to this place and try to connect with his lost friend in some way or another. The first night, he'd discovered her diary and had begun to read it a little bit at a time, attempting to find some form of solace in Orihime's words.

 _"Dear Diary. Today, I had a funny moment while I was at work. I pulled a piece of garlic bread out of the oven and saw that a large spot on its center. It was so funny! It was shaped like a strawberry. I laughed and set it aside for Ichigo to see tomorrow. Hopefully I won't get hungry tonight and eat it!_

 _Ichigo seems to be holding up ever since he lost his powers. I keep wanting to confess how I feel but I just don't know the right moment. I'm sure that if I can just get him alone I can tell him without chickening out. I just gotta keep up a positive attitude, just like what Tatsuki said! Oh well…there's always tomorrow!_

 _P.S. I really wish Chizuru was stop squeezing my boobs. She tends to squeeze a little hard…."_

Ichigo didn't read anymore, the pain too much to bear. The diary slipped out of his hands as he cried, unable to read anymore. His chest hurt too much, as if his heart was being gouged out by a rusty carving knife. He lay back on the bed and curled up into a ball, inhaling Orihime's scent from the bed linens. "Orihime…he whispered, wishing she was here with him.

But she was. Orihime couldn't hold back the tears herself when she saw how much despair Ichigo was in. She thought he'd be strong enough to go on, that he could move past her death. But he was tearing himself apart with guilt, making her feel horrible that she was the cause for his sadness. "This isn't fair!" she whispered, her hands over her heart. "I'm right here…and yet I can't do a thing for him!" She reached for Ichigo, hoping against hope that she could touch him, to let him know that she never blamed him for anything. "Ichigo, please don't cry…" she whispered, tears falling down her face only to fade before they hit the floor. "Please…."

As she reached out for him, Ichigo turned over onto his side, exposing his short Zangetsu blade. He'd removed his longsword when he'd entered the apartment but he kept his shortsword on him in case a hollow attacked. Orihime noticed how one of her hairpins was attached to the hilt and reached for it, maybe thinking that she could summon one of her sprites to talk to Ichigo. It was her hairpins after all. When she reached for it, two things she hadn't counted on happened.

The first was that she could actually touch the sword. Her hairpin gave a tiny gold glow as her hand brushed against it.

The second thing was that she was no longer in her apartment. She blinked when cold rain pelted her before realizing she could actually _feel._ She looked down and saw to her amazement that she actually had a physical body. She saw she was dressed in the white outfit that Kisuke had given her. Looking around, she saw a sight that was beyond perplexing sight.

"…Why am I standing on a skyscraper sideways?"

She saw what looked like an inverted landscape, tall skyscrapers on their sides. Orihime shivered as the rain continued its downpour, drenching her. "Brrrr! What's going on?" she asked, clutching her arms as she shivered. "Hello? Anyone? Is anyone out there?" she called out….

Ichigo was half asleep, still trying to find peace from Orihime's soothing scent, when he heard a voice. " _Hello? Anyone? Is anyone out there?"_

The distraught boy bolted awake and looked around. "That…that sounded like…." He ran throughout the apartment, desperately searching for the source of the familiar voice. "Orihime! Where are you?" he called out. When he heard nothing, he returned to the bedroom and sat down, burying his head in his hands. "Great, now I'm going insane."

" _Why is it raining in here? Brrrr! Hello? Is anyone here?"_

Ichigo blinked, realizing that the voice was not coming from around him but from within him. Scrambling to try to steady himself, Ichigo pulled out his short Zangetsu blade and laid it across his lap, performing Jinzen and entering his inner world. He'd gotten quicker at it during his training with Osho, so within seconds he'd entered his inner world.

He didn't need to open his eyes to feel the rain coming down on him. He looked around and saw that his inner world was under siege by a terrible thunderstorm, the result of his inner anguish. He cupped his hands and called out. "Hello? Orihime, is that you?"

"Ichigo…."

The boy whirled around and in an instant the rain stopped. Standing before him was Orihime Inoue, who was looking at him with tears in her eyes. "Ori…hime…." Ichigo couldn't fight back the tears as he stared at his friend. "Is that…really you?"

Smiling from ear to ear, Orihime cried tears of joy as she ran over to him. "It's me. I'm here, Ichigo."

Ichigo did nothing but hold Orihime, crying his eyes out as he embraced her, never wanting to let her go. He didn't care how this happened or why. All he cared about was that Orihime was in his arms again.

He'd deal with what came afterwards later. For now, he only wanted to keep holding his lost love in his arms….

To be continued

 **A.N.: …DAMMIT! WHY CAN'T I STOP CRYING?! *Storms off to find a box of tissues….***


	4. What is hope?

Chapter 4: Hope or False Hope?  
IchigoXOrihime

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _ **Three Days Later….  
**_ **Squad 13**

Rukia sat at her desk with a forlorn look on her face as she struggled to complete the massive amount of paperwork on her desk. Every hour or so she'd glance at her captain's desk as if the man would remarkably come back from the dead and help relieve her of her burdens. She had no idea covering for an entire squad was so hard! Izuru and Momo made it look so easy. While many expected Rukia to quickly take over as Captain, she was against it. She had yet to master her Bankai and until she had she would not be ready to assume a captain's position.

She sighed as she stared out the window. The war had taken so much from her. Her home had been devastated. She'd thought her brother was dead in their darkest hour. So many of her subordinates were dead. Her captain, one of the best men she'd ever met, was dead. Orihime was dead.

Her eyes watered at the thought of Orihime. This was the girl who first befriended her when she was powerless in the World of the Living, who she'd helped train to give her a sense of worth. To Rukia Orihime was like a sister to her.

Rukia couldn't stop the tremble as she remembered Orihime's body going cold, the light fading from her eyes, her last words for Ichigo. "Orihime…" she muttered. She couldn't help but tear up every time she thought about her. Orihime had been so lively, so positive and energetic. Moving on in a world without her was harder than Rukia had thought. The past few nights she had nightmares of her failure to save Orihime.

She'd yet to speak to Ichigo. When he and Renji had left through the portal Yhwach had left behind, Ichigo had asked that she take care of Orihime. But she'd failed him and let her die right in front of her. She didn't think she could ever face him again….

Her depression was interrupted when a Hell Butterfly fluttered through the window, dripping from the rain outside. With tired eyes, the lieutenant sat up as it landed on her finger and relayed its message. Her confusion grew when she learned that the message was from Kisuke Urahara.

" _Rukia. I need you to come to the Department of Research and Development. Now."_

Putting down her pen, Rukia got up out of her chair and headed for the door. "This'd better be good, Kisuke…." Leaving her third-seats in charge, she left for Squad Twelve….

 _ **Minutes later….  
**_ **Squad 12: R &D Department**

Rukia entered the halls of the science labs, her outfit wet from the rain. She was directed by several assistants to a room at the end of the hall. "The others are waiting there. Kisuke Urahara said he'd be with you shortly."

"Others?"

Her confusion came to an end when she opened the door and saw to her surprise Renji, Chad, Rangiku, Yoruichi and Uryu sitting in the room. "What's going on? Did Kisuke call all of you too?" She looked at Uryu with distrustful eyes. "You sure you should be here, Uryu?"

Pushing up his glasses, Uryu answered, "Kisuke told me that the Head-Captain had given me a pardon from my involvement with Yhwach, thought I don't intend on staying here any longer than I have to. I only came when Kisuke told me that it was a matter of utmost importance."

Nodding, Rukia sat down in a chair next to Renji and looked at the two Humans. "So…how's Ichigo holding up?"

Both Uryu and Chad looked at the floor. "Well…" Chad said, unable to find the words.

Uryu picked up the torch from there. "He's been in a depression ever since then. Orihime's death hit him hard. He's been like this ever since we returned home. I don't know if he'll ever come out of it."

Rukia's face saddened. "I see…."

They were interrupted when the door opened, revealing Kisuke, who was dressed in a white lab coat. "Good. You're all here. Come with me. I have something you all need to see."

The group got up and followed him out of the room. "Kisuke, what's this all about?" Rukia asked. "Why'd you call us all here?"

The scientist was silent as they walked down the halls. "I've no words to describe it. You just need to see this. And try to keep the punching to a minimum." He opened up the door to Mayuri's lab and gestured for them to walk inside. When they all entered the room he closed the door. The lab was dark, illuminated only by the light of the computer monitors on the wall. A single lightbulb was on, directly over an examination table. On the table was an object, with looked suspiciously like a body, covered by a white sheet.

"When Captain Kurotsuchi asked me to assist him with his affairs, I noticed that he had this when I arrived." The group gathered around the table and Kisuke put his hand on the sheet, gently pulling it back to reveal the cadaver's face. "Notice anything?"

Everyone gasped when the face of Orihime Inoue was revealed. Rukia and Rangiku were horrified when they realized their friend's naked body was here in Kurotsuchi's lab like some experiment ready for dissection. "Orihime!" Rangiku whispered, turning away and putting her hand over her mouth to keep herself from vomiting over the sight of her deceased friend.

Rukia walked over to Kisuke and promptly slapped the taste out of his mouth. "How _dare_ you! What have you and Captain Kurotsuchi done to Orihime's body, you sick, perverted, twisted, _demented-_ " With every word she slapped the man, who just stood there and took it.

Finally, Kisuke had enough and grabbed her wrist before she could hit him again. "Rukia. I have not harmed Orihime at all. Captain Kurotsuchi recovered her after the battle and brought her here but we did not do anything invasive or depraved to her. I made sure of that, myself."

Uryu blinked as he stared down at Orihime's body. "Wait…Kisuke…I think I get what you're driving at."

Everyone turned to look at the Quincy. "What do you mean, Uryu?" Chad asked.

The Quincy held out a hand. Everyone watched as a stream of Reishi flew into his palm. "Here in the Soul Society, everything is made up of Reishi. When we come to here or Hueco Mundo, the machine Kisuke uses to open up a Senkaimon causes our bodies to become spirit matter. And when we die, shortly thereafter the bonds of Reishi keeping our bodies together become undone and we disintegrate, our Reishi blends with the atmosphere so that we're reincarnated in the World of the Living. Because it's a part of the Soul Society, that rule also applies to the Soul King's Palace."

Rubbing his sore cheek, Kisuke nodded. "Sharp as always, Uryu. So then," he looked at everyone before continuing. "It's as Uryu says. Soon after death, our bodies begin to disintegrate. Which begs the question… _Why is Orihime still here?_ "

Everyone stared at Kisuke, then Orihime and then back to Kisuke. "So then…" Rangiku said, drying her eyes, "Orihime's not dead then?"

It was with sad eyes that Kisuke shook his head. "No. Believe me when I say that Orihime is deceased." When everyone glared at him he put the sheet back over Orihime's head and his expression turned stern. "I know you're all hurt, but this is reality. Orihime is dead. I'm sorry but I don't have the bedside manners to put it more gently, Rangiku. When I discovered that her body hadn't disintegrated and that Kurotsuchi had done little to her, I check, double checked, triple checked and quadruple checked to make sure she was deceased." He looked down at Orihime's covered body. "But I am confused as to why she's still here. She has been like this since she died. She hasn't even begun decomposing like a normal Human body. To figure this out, Kurotsuchi and I are studying her," when Rukia and Rangiku looked like they were about to strangle him he threw his hands up in the air, "Within ethical principles, of course, to determine what's the cause."

Renji spoke up, "So tell us, what have you concluded so far?"

"Well…" Kisuke walked over to a nearby chair and sat down. "Death has occurred, but her body seems to be almost in stasis. Other than that we haven't been able to draw any conclusions." He pulled his fan out of his pocket and flipped it open. "I called all of you here because I felt that you had the right to know. Captain Kurotsuchi and I will keep investigating. I promise that we will be respectful to her. If we learn anything, you have my word that I will inform you posthaste."

"Should Ichigo know about this?" Chad asked.

Kisuke was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No. He shouldn't. If he knew that her body ended up here, I don't think he'd stop until me and Mayuri were both dead and dismembered. More importantly, he might get the wrong idea from the fact that her body is still here. Giving him false hope will only hurt him more. He's suffered enough as it is."

"Alright. Thank you, Kisuke," Rukia said. "And…sorry about smacking you."

"No need. I think we all knew I had that coming." As the group turned to leave he called out to them one last time. "Yoruichi. Uryu. Could you stay for another minute?"

The Quincy and former Soul Reaper looked at Kisuke confused before stepping back over to the examination table. When the others left, Yoruichi, who'd remained silent up to this point, crossed her arms and spoke, "Alright, Kisuke. What else is there? And exactly why did you wait until now to show us this?"

Getting back up onto his feet, Kisuke hobbled over to the table and pulled back the sheet again, revealing Orihime's face once more. "There's something else I discovered while I was examining her. I didn't know how to tell the others but I felt the need to inform you two since you're the most levelheaded. I…am at a complete loss with this." He pulled back on Orihime's eyelids and gestured to her. "See what I mean?"

Uryu just stood there slackjawed, unable to find the words.

Yoruichi's eyes widened in shock. "What the fu-"

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Ichigo's Inner World**

Ichigo and Orihime were sitting along the edge of the skyscraper. Orihime's head laid on his shoulder as she soaked up his warmth. Ichigo had spent the past few days in his inner world, not caring about anything that happened in reality. The rain had let up and he could feel happiness again. That empty feeling he felt was now filled by Orihime's warm presence.

But Orihime noted their time and looked up with concern. "Ichigo, don't you need to go home? I mean, aren't your sisters worried about you?" She could see Ichigo's hesitance to leave her here so she hugged him tightly. "It's alright. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Hugging her back, Ichigo buried his face into her hair and breathed her scent. "I'll find a way to bring you back, Orihime. I don't care what I have to do. I'll bring you back." He stood up and smiled. "If you need to talk, just give a shout."

Getting up, she kissed his cheek. "I'll be here, Ichigo." Slowly, Ichigo faded away from his inner world, leaving Orihime. The girl looked around and huffed when she saw more and more skyscrapers.

"Hmmm…this place really needs a shoe shop…."

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Orihime's apartment**

Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he sat up, his muscles feeling sore from being in Jinzen for so long. Sheathing his zanpakuto, he got up off the bed and smiled for the first time in days. Picking up his longsword, Ichigo headed out the window, closing it behind him and headed home. His thoughts were muddled as he struggled to comprehend what was happening. Orihime had become a spirit that was completely different than anything they'd ever seen and had managed to not only traverse through dimensions with a thought but had also entered Ichigo's inner world.

What in the world was happening?

His musings were interrupted when he heard a familiar sound: a Hollow's roar. "Looks like I'm back on the job," he said, drawing his longsword. He headed for the sound of the hollow's roaring, seeing it in a darkened alleyway. Jumping down, he saw that it was a relatively small hollow, with a serpentine lower half and four arms, it's triangular mask growling as it stalked a little boy, obviously a Plus.

As Ichigo gripped his sword he felt power surge through him. It wasn't like with Zangetsu fueling his strength. Rather, it was somehow different. Zangetsu's power felt darker in comparison to this. ' _Is this because Zangetsu is gone? Or is it because Orihime is in my Inner World?'_

The hollow hissed as it spun around and saw the intruder. Even though Ichigo hadn't fully recovered from his fight with Yhwach, having only let Rukia give him immediate first aid, Ichigo easily followed its slithery path as it tried to flank him, intending on sinking its teeth into him. "I don't think so!" Ichigo fired up his spirit energy and swung his blade. "Getsuga Tensho!"

Ichigo knew that he could still use the Getsuga Tensho from his fight with Yhwach. However, he wasn't exactly expecting it to be gold when he fired it off. ' _That's the same color as Orihime's spiritual pressure.'_ Still, even though it was a different color it had the same effect. The hollow roared in pain as it was cut in two, its mask split apart. Ichigo watched as the hollow disintegrated and sighed.

He quickly performed Konso on the Plus, sending him to the Soul Society, before turning back to his zanpakuto. He tipped it and looked at Orihime's hairpins attacked to the hilt. ' _Weird. Is it because of Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka hairpins that caused it? Or is it because Orihime's in my Inner World?'_ So many questions ran through his head as he stared at his sword until finally he decided to try something. Hopping up onto the roof so he could see better, Ichigo held both swords out in front of him and concentrated hard.

"Orihime."

A whirl of golden energy blurred the swords from view from a moment before they appeared again. The shortsword was now sleeker and thinner, with a white blade. The longsword now resembled a sealed zanpakuto, albeit with a curved, white blade and a hilt that was in the shape of Orihime's hairpins. Ichigo stared at his new swords in complete and utter astonishment.

"Is…is Orihime somehow my zanpakuto?"

" _Ichigo?"_ Orihime called out from within. " _Are you okay? I feel kinda funny."_

"What's happening, Orihime?" Ichigo asked, concerned for his friend.

Inside his inner world, Orihime looked down at herself. She was… _glowing?_ "I don't know. But I'm glowing all of the sudden and I feel kinda warm and tingly."

Ichigo stared down at his knew swords before sheathing them, the zanpakutos returning to normal. He decided to turn around and head in the opposite direction for Urahara Shop. He knew that the chances were slim and that he might be giving into false hope. But this was Orihime. He owed it to her to try. But first….

He needed to speak with Urahara. And more importantly he needed something in the man's possession to prove his theory once and for all. He knew what he needed to do. He had to bring back Orihime, no matter what the cost….

To be continued


	5. Is Ichigo crazy?

Chapter 5: Is Ichigo going insane?

 **A.N.: If this story had a theme song, it's** _ **Cold**_ **from RWBY. Seriously, I listened to that while I reread the first two chapters and I could not stop crying. Anyway, on to the show….  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _ **Later….  
**_ **The Soul Society**

Ichigo dashed through the streets of the Soul Society like a madman, trying to avoid people on the street and knocking over those whom he couldn't avoid. He had to get to Urahara's underground chamber. He needed to confirm what he'd seen. Was Orihime really the center for his zanpakuto now? And if so, how had this happened?

"Ichigo! Watch where you're-"

Rukia didn't get to finish because Ichigo barreled into her, knocking them both off their feet and sending Ichigo sprawling onto the ground. Renji, who had been walking next to Rukia, growled angrily at his friend's reckless stampede. "Ichigo! What the hell?! First we don't see you for weeks and now you come barreling through here like a Sinner out of Hell!" He helped Rukia up before turning back to Ichigo, frowning in disapproval at the young man's disheveled appearance. "Ichigo, when's the last time you changed clothes?"

"Or took a shower?" added Rukia, wrinkling her nose when she caught a whiff of Ichigo's body odor. As Ichigo got up and dusted himself off she crossed her arms and frowned. "So what's the matter? Why are you here, Ichigo?"

"Orihime!" Ichigo gasped, trying to get air into his lungs, hunched over and panting. "I…Orihime…Zanpakuto!"

Both Rukia and Renji looked at each other and turned back to Ichigo with confusion. "What about Orihime?" Rukia asked gently, wondering if Ichigo knew that Kisuke and Mayuri were still in possession of Orihime's body. "Ichigo, are you alright?"

Taking a massive gulp of air, Ichigo tried to calm down but his nerves were shot. "Orihime's my zanpakuto!" he panted. He took out his two zanpakutos and held them out. "She's in my inner world! I…I know it sounds unbelievable but she's alive in my zanpakuto! I was fighting a hollow and when I said her name my zanpakutos changed! "

Both lieutenants looked at the swords, each noting the hairpins attached to the ends, and looked at Ichigo worryingly. "Ichigo, you're sure about this?" Renji asked. "You sure you didn't just dream it up?"

Ichigo nodded, not understanding why his friends weren't excited to hear their friend was still alive (somewhat), without realizing that with his battered, unkempt appearance he looked like a madman. He held up his blades. "Here, I'll show you. Watch!" he said. Closing his eyes, he concentrated.

"Orihime."

Opening his eyes, he expected to see his new transformed swords but instead he saw that they hadn't changed. "What the hell?!" Ichigo started to shake the blades and called out to his friend. "Orihime! Orihime! ORIHIME!"

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Ichigo's Inner World**

"Zzzzzzz…." Orihime snored as she slept on top of one of the buildings, oblivious to Ichigo's calling. "Zzzzzzz…."

 _ **Back to Ichigo**_

 __Ichigo started shaking his swords in frustration. "Dammit! I know what I saw! Why isn't she answering me?!"

He only stopped when Rukia put a hand on his arm, looking at him with fearful eyes. "Ichigo _,_ why don't you come with us? We'll take you to Squad Four for help." Clearly Ichigo was going insane from despair and she needed to help her friend before he did something rash.

"What? Help?" Ichigo backed away, not liking the look of pity in Rukia's eyes. "What do you mean help?"

Renji grabbed his wrist and kept him still. "Ichigo, look at me." When Ichigo turned to look at him, he saw the redhead looking at him with a sad look. "When's the last time you slept? Or for that matter, when's the last time you talked to anybody besides us?" When Ichigo didn't answer him, Renji took that as his answer. "Look, Ichigo…we want to help you. It's obvious to the both of us that you need help. Squad Four's medics are trained for psychological problems. We just want you to talk to them and-"

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" Ichigo screamed, trying to pull away from him but Renji grabbed his other wrist, his zanpakutos clattering to the ground. "LET GO OF ME!"

"Ichigo!" Rukia ran to them and tried to hold him still, prepared to use Kido if she had to. She didn't want to but if Ichigo kept this up she'd have no choice. "Ichigo! Calm down!"

"LET GO OF ME, RUKIA! STOP IT!" the distraught Substitute screamed as he tried to pull away from them but days of no sleep or food had sapped much of his strength and he was already at his wits end.

"ICHIGO, STOP!" Rukia pleaded as Ichigo ripped himself from their grasps. Ichigo immediately turned around and headed straight for the Sokyoku Hill. He got about five feet when Renji flashstepped in front of him, Zabimaru already released and ready to attack. "Look, Ichigo! I don't want to do this but I'll use force if I have to!"

"Renji!" Ichigo's eyes flared with rage, scaring both lieutenants. He reached down and picked up his zanpakutos and readied himself. He was going to see Orihime again and Renji was not going to stop him. "GET…OUT…OF…MY-"

"Bakudo #61: Riku Jokoro."

Rukia and Renji were taken aback when pillars of light came out of nowhere and rooted Ichigo to the ground, keeping him restrained. Knowing the source of the spell, Rukia whirled around to see Byakuya calmly walking towards them. "Brother!"

"I've had all I can stand of this. I'll endure it no longer." Byakuya walked over to Ichigo's front, not affected in the slightest by the boy's glare. "Ichigo, why are you acting like this?"

"Rukia and Renji wouldn't let me go! Byakuya, I'm not crazy!"

"And swinging your swords while screaming like a madman is going to convince me otherwise?" Byakuya asked. "I'll ask again: what's gotten into you?"

Taking deep breaths, Ichigo calmly told him the events of the past few days, meeting Orihime in his inner world, spending days talking to her and the battle with the hollow which revealed his new zanpakuto. Finishing his tale, Ichigo struggled in vain to break the Kidô. "Now let me go!"

Byakuya took in the boy's words before crossing his arms. "Ichigo, I believe that you're becoming delusional from your grief. What you just described isn't possible."

"I'M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH!"

"And yet, why didn't your zanpakutos change when you said Orihime's name? Why can I not feel her spirit energy in your zanpakutos?" Byakuya's expression softened as he looked at the boy with pity in his eyes. "Ichigo, I'm aware of your recent actions. You've become obsessed with trying to hold on to whatever piece of Orihime that she left behind. Her hairpins. Her apartment. Her diary. You're becoming consumed by your guilt and its affected your mind." When Ichigo looked at him stunned, Byakuya elaborated. "Yoruichi was asked to keep an eye on you to make sure you didn't hurt yourself. That's how we know."

Ichigo was on the verge of tears now. Was it all just a dream? Was he so lost that his mind played the worst kind of trick on him? He reached out to Orihime but got no answer, not knowing that the girl was still asleep. His head hurt as the questions and the strain became too much. Finally, he looked up at Byakuya with pleading eyes. "Byakuya…please…I know what I saw…."

Rukia and Renji held their breath as the tension rose, not knowing what Byakuya planned on doing. After staring into Ichigo's eyes deeply for several silent minutes, Byakuya finally spoke. "Ichigo, I will make you a deal." He decided to relent for Ichigo's sake; after all he'd done for them the boy deserved the benefit of the doubt. "We will go together to Urahara's lair and you will use his manifestation device to test your theory."

Ichigo blinked. "You know about that?"

"Yoruichi informed me of how you were able to attain Bankai in less than three days after you bested me. As I was saying, if what you say is true then Rukia, Renji and I will need to confirm it. If, however, we are right and nothing happens, will you promise to come with us without struggling so we may take you to Squad Four? Because if this is just a product of your imagination then you need therapy before you suddenly snap." Ichigo nodded, surprised at the man's willingness to listen to him. "Very well then." He put a hand up and the bars of light restraining Ichigo faded. "Lead the way…" he gestured, "And do not try to think about outrunning us, Ichigo. In your present condition you won't get far."

Slumping his shoulders, Ichigo slowly walked back onto the path he'd started on, Byakuya, Rukia and Renji following. Rukia noticed Byakuya quickly send a Hell Butterfly off towards Squad Twelve and walked up to him. "Brother, what was the Hell Butterfly for?"

"It was a message to Kisuke Urahara to meet us at his underground lair. If by chance Ichigo is telling the truth, he'll need to know this. He is still studying the girl's cadaver, isn't he?" he asked. When Rukia paled at the phrase, Byakuya realized he'd said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry. I should have phrased that more softly. In any case, if he is telling the truth, he'll want to know about it."

"And if Ichigo is wrong?"

"That's why I also asked Kisuke Urahara to bring the strongest restraints the Department of Research and Development has to offer with him just in case."

 _ **Minutes Later  
**_ **Kisuke's Underground Lair beneath the Sokyoku Hill**

Ichigo found the doll right where he left it when he went to go rescue Rukia. As he asked Renji to set it up, he saw Kisuke climbing down the ladder. "Kisuke? What are you doing here?"

Slinging black ropes over his shoulder, Kisuke calmly waved over to the four as he walked over to them. "Good to see you out and about, Ichigo. What's this I hear about you and Orihime?"

As quick as he could, Ichigo recounted the events that he'd relayed to Byakuya. Stroking his chin, Kisuke took off his hat and set the ropes down onto the ground. "Well, Ichigo, I'll give you my professional opinion…you're out of your mind." When Ichigo bristled in anger, Kisuke held up a hand to stop him. "Let me finish. By all accounts what you just told me is unheard of. However…" his mind shifted back to Orihime's still-existing body and the other startling phenomenon. "Thinking about it more closely, both you and Orihime are exceptionally unique individuals, especially Orihime so it's not impossible that what you've just told me is true. Regardless, go ahead and stab the device and we'll know it for sure."

"Okay but…what's with the ropes?"

Flipping his fan, Kisuke gave Ichigo a rather menacing look. "Insurance, Ichigo. That's all. Now if you please?"

Ichigo drew his swords and closed his eyes, praying that this will work. With all his might, he stabbed both swords into the doll.

…And it was at that precise moment that inside Ichigo's Inner World, Orihime woke up.

The doll disintegrated with a bright flash of light. Standing in its place, much to the complete shock of everyone but Ichigo, was Orihime. "Huh? Where am I?" She realized she was no longer in Ichigo's Inner World and saw to her delight Rukia, Renji, Byakuya and Kisuke standing together with Ichigo. "Rukia! You're all okay!"

The four simply stared in complete shock and confusion. Kisuke was so stunned he dropped his cane. "I…don't believe it…."

Ichigo whirled around. "So you all can see her?"

Rukia nodded, tears running down her face as she stared at her friend. "Yes…I see her…." The girl did the only thing that seemed natural: run up to Orihime and hug her. "Orihime, is this really you?" she asked, sobbing into Orihime's chest as she held her.

"Yeah…." Orihime wrapped her arms around Rukia and hugged her back, glad to be able to touch someone again. "Um…Ichigo? What's happened?"

"I used a doll Kisuke made to externalize a zanpakuto to manifest you here. I figured since you took Zangetsu's place I could do the same to you. But why didn't you answer me when I called you?"

Orihime scratched the back of her head. "Sorry. I was sleeping and I must've not have heard you."

Kisuke observed the touching scene before shaking his head in disbelief. "This is becoming more and more curious…."

Ichigo turned to the shopkeeper. "What'd you mean by that, Kisuke?"

Sighing, Kisuke merely shook his head. "I'll explain later. In the meantime, why don't we all sit down and try to calm down. I think even Byakuya is getting emotional here."

The man glared at the former captain. "I do not get emotional."

"Aw c'mon! This is a happy moment!"

Ichigo noticed Kisuke leaving the black ropes on the ground and cocked his head in confusion. "So what were the ropes for, Kisuke?"

"Oh, those were the best restraints Mayuri developed. If I had been right and you'd gone bonkers I planned on binding you with them and dragging you to Squad Four for psych treatment. Good to see I was wrong for a change."

"You jerk…."

Orihime merely giggled. "I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same!"

Byakuya left the chamber, leaving four with the reunited Orihime, still not sure what to make of all this. One thing was for sure….

…Something big was about to happen. With Ichigo it was always big.

To be continued

 **A.N.: And now I can't get that song out of my head. Nice going, Teloch…. *Storms off to find box of tissues again….***


	6. Growing Unsteadiness

Chapter 6: Growing unsteadiness

 **A.N.: Sorry for the delay. I got caught up in trying to catch up on my request lists and other old projects.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_**A few days later….  
**_ **Karakura Town; Outside Tatsuki's House**

Ichigo knocked on the door to his best friend's house. He felt happier than he'd felt in a long time. He'd spent the past few days with Orihime in his inner world, not wanting to let go of her for a second. He'd spent a little time in the Soul Society with Rukia and Kisuke, the former who was beside herself with joy whenever Orihime manifested. The memory of her friend dying in her arms had left a deep scar in Rukia's heart and seeing her here in this form helped mend wound it'd inflicted.

Kisuke, on the other hand, was perplexed by Orihime's appearance. According to him, this had never happened before and was curious about Orihime's effect on his zanpakutos. He didn't know how but Orihime being in Ichigo's inner world had somehow given him a new source of power to draw from, hence his sword's new appearance. And yet, Ichigo had the slightest suspicion that Kisuke knew more than he let on, catching him glancing at Orihime's manifested appearance with worried eyes.

But Ichigo could care less what Kisuke had going on in that head of his. He had Orihime back and he was happy again.

As he knocked on the door to Tatsuki's house, he wondered if there was some way to put Orihime into a corporeal body rather than just leave her as a spirit inside his soul. ' _Doesn't matter…'_ he thought as he waited for the door to open. He put a hand on his chest and could feel Orihime's presence from deep within. ' _Orihime's back. That's all that matters….'_

The door opened up and revealed Tatsuki. The girl was wearing a white shirts and shorts, a towel wrapped around her neck and her body was sweaty from a workout. "Ichigo?" Tatsuki was surprised. She hadn't heard from Ichigo in days and was starting to get worried. "What brings you here?"

Ichigo gave Tatsuki a warm smile. "Hey, Tatsuki. Mind if I come in?"

Tatsuki let him in and led him into her room. "What is it? Are you okay?" She sat down on her bed and looked at Ichigo with worried eyes. "We haven't seen you in days. We…I…I was worried." She remembered how lost and broken Ichigo was after Orihime had died. Ichigo sat down next to her and she waited while he reached into his pocket for something.

"I'm fine, Tatsuki. I'm better than ever." He pulled out a bracelet and slipped it on. "There's someone who'd like to talk to you."

Tatsuki looked at Ichigo confused before the bracelet glowed. "Wha-" she started before a image started to shimmer before her. After a few seconds, Tatsuki laid her eyes on Orihime as she manifested out of Ichigo's inner world. "Or…Orihime?" Tatsuki whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "Is that… really you?"

Orihime merely smiled before wrapping her arms around her best friend's neck. "Hi there, Tatsuki…."

 _ **An Hour later….**_

Ichigo and Tatsuki sat on the bed alone. Ichigo's bracelet could only allow Orihime to manifest for a short while. The item was something that Kisuke cooked up but without further data about Orihime he could only do so much.

Tatsuki stared at Ichigo and smiled. "How are you, Ichigo?" She put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Is Orihime alright?" she asked. "How is this even possible?" So many questions ran through her head.

"I don't know…" Ichigo said, closing his eyes and feeling Orihime's presence. "But Orihime's back. I don't know how but I don't care." He looked back at Tatsuki and took hold of her hand. "Tatsuki…I know that I've said it before but…I'm sorry." He looked away, ashamed at himself as the memory of that fateful day came back to him. "If I could take back what happened, I'd do it." His eyes watered as he remembered holding Orihime's lifeless body. "Orihime…."

Tatsuki could tell that despite the miracle, Orihime's death weighed heavily on Ichigo's heart. Deciding to act on instinct and to let Ichigo know how much his happiness meant to him, Tatsuki leaned forward….

Ichigo gasped in surprise when Tatsuki kissed his cheek, the sudden action making his heart beat faster. "Tatsuki?" Ichigo replied, confused at Tatsuki's kiss.

"Sorry," Tatsuki replied, her cheeks blushed. "I've always wanted to do that." She squeezed Ichigo hand. "I knew that Orihime loved you. That's why I pushed her to try and confess her feelings. But…" she looked away. "I've always loved you too."

Ichigo felt a little conflicted as soon as he heard that but calmed himself down when Orihime pipped in from within him and said that she wasn't mad at all. Leaning forward, he hugged Tatsuki tightly and smiled. "Thanks, Tatsuki. For everything."

Tatsuki hugged him back and laid her head on his shoulder. She was so confused yet so happy; she figured this was how Ichigo felt when he suddenly felt Orihime's presence. "Please, Ichigo…bring her back," she said softly. "I miss my best friend."

Ichigo hugged her tighter and breathed deeply. "I know. I'll bring her back, no matter what it takes."

The happy moment was promptly ruined when they suddenly felt a slight tremor beneath their feet. "Ugh, another one?" Tatsuki groaned as she looked around. It was a small earthquake but she was starting to get annoyed. "That's the third one in the past few weeks!"

Ichigo blinked, having not paid much attention to his surroundings since he was in the middle of grieving for his dead love. "Really? These keep happening?"

"Yeah," she said before the shaking stopped. "People have been looking into it but nobody can say why we keep getting small earthquakes."

Ichigo looked out the window and frowned, remembering the shaking that'd happened when the Soul King died. He'd been too devastated by Orihime's death at the time to think about it but now that the Yhwach, who'd replaced the Soul King, was dead, what was keeping the world together now? Were these the aftershocks from killing Yhwach or was something else afoot?

Shaking off any lingering thoughts, Ichigo turned his attention back to Tatsuki and decided to get back in touch with his friend….

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Squad 12: Mayuri's Lab**

Kisuke also felt the tremor and frowned, examining Orihime's dead body further. "What can this mean?" he asked. "Is Orihime's existence somehow linked to these tremors?"

His answer came from Mayuri Kurotsuchi as the mad scientist came up from behind him. "You know, there has been one mystery that's been puzzling me," he said as he looked down at Orihime's body _._ "Exactly how are we still here?"

Kisuke understood what his former protégé was driving at. "Yeah. Ichigo killed Yhwach. So then, how is the world still here without collapsing?"

Both scientists looked at each other and frowned. This was one mystery that wasn't going to be easy to solve….

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Ichigo's Inner World**

Orihime looked around Ichigo's inner world, wondering what she should do. Ichigo was asleep, leaving Orihime to wander about his inner world. She wandered about for a while but soon found herself bored. Deciding to venture out, Orihime exited Ichigo's inner world. She found herself back in her ghostly form, floating beside Ichigo's bed, the boy sound asleep. "Ichigo…" she said softly as she watched him slumber away. Smiling, she patted his head, not minding that her hand coulnd't really touch him. "Sweet dreams, Ichigo…."

Floating away, Orihime ventured out and checked in with her friends. She was happy to see the sleeping forms of Chad, Uryu, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro. Traveling to Urahara Shop, she smiled when she saw the snoring bodies of Tessai, Ururu and Jinta. When she went to Yoruichi's room, however, she saw that Yoruichi was tossing back and forth on her futon, a clear expression of pain on her face while she slept. Orihime's face soured as she saw how much pain Yoruichi was in. No doubt this was an aftereffect of Askin Nak Le Var's poisonous abilities. "Here, Yoruichi…." She put her hands to her heart and summoned her sprites. "I don't know if this will work while I'm a spirit but…Sōten Kisshun."

Orihime's golden barrier surrounded Yoruichi and, to her relief, she felt the poison in Yoruichi's body disappear. Soon Yoruichi had stopped tossing and turning in pain and began to sleep peacefully. Banishing her spirits, Orihime smiled at Yroucihi's sleeping form before turning to Kisuke's room, wondering what the scientist was up to. When she saw that the room was empty, she figured that he was in the Soul Society. "I wonder if he's okay."

In an instant, Orihime found herself in Mayuri's lab. "Geez! I'll never get used to that!" she said out loud. Looking around, she saw nobody in the lab at all. "I wonder if Kisuke's nearby?" Looking around, she realized just whose lab this was and shivered. "I hope Mayuri's not nearby…."

Floating around, she saw that the room was lit by a single lamp, its light shining over an object on a lab table. Orihime may have been dead but she still shivered when she realized it was a dead body on the table.

A dead body with burnt-orange hair….

Orihime put her hands to her mouth in horror when she floated near the cadaver before realizing in horror that she was looking at her own dead body. "It's…it's _me!_ "

A thought occurred to her as she looked down at herself. It was such an odd feeling to look at her own body. She put a hand to her chest and wondered if maybe…just maybe…."Could I reject my own death?" Cautiously, she reached out for her body.

Only to scream in terror when her dead body's eyes opened up. What was horrific only became more terrifying when her body, her _dead_ body, sat up on the table, the sheet covering her body falling down. But what was the most shocking was the fact that it wasn't her own hazel eyes staring back at her. The dead Orihime's eyes had black sclera and cross-shaped pupils.

Backing away, Orihime felt fear shake her to her ghostly core. "Who…who or what are you? And what have you done with my body?"

The dead Orihime's lips moved and yet her voice sounded like it was coming in stereo, as if someone was using her as a microphone.

"I am the Soul King. Hello, Orihime. It's time we talked."

To be continued


	7. A Talk with the King

Chapter 7: A Talk with the King.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _ **Back to where we left off….  
**_ **Squad 12; Mayuri's Laboratory**

The ghostly Orihime stared in shock as her own dead body spoke to her. "The…the Soul King?" she gasped. "But…but you're dead!" She remembered how Ichigo had been forced by Yhwach into cutting the Soul King in half and how the two halves of his body had been absorbed by the mad Quincy king.

The dead Orihime's eyes were no longer her natural hazel. Instead she now had the cross-shaped eyes of the Soul King. As she spoke, her voice sounded like it was coming in stereo, as if the king was just using her as a microphone. "Yes, Orihime. I am dead. What you are speaking to is merely the last remaining thread of consciousness I still have. Yhwach did not steal this from me because he had no idea that I'd done such a thing moments before my demise."

"I don't understand," Orihime said. She looked down at her floating body and then back at her real one. "Why am I like this? And why are you possessing my body. Am I alive somehow?"

Orihime/Soul King shook her head. "No, Orihime. You are not alive. You are dead. As to why your body is carrying my consciousness let me explain. During the battle you attempted to revive me, correct?"

Orihime nodded. "Yeah but…my Shun Shun Rikka didn't work. I couldn't restore your body."

"Yes. You were unable to save me, I'm afraid. But in that moment when your powers came into contact with my body there was a link between us. I used that link to transfer my consciousness into your body. My hope was that after the defeat of Yhwach, I would restore myself using both my consciousness and your powers. I had not counted on your demise, however."

"Can we still do that?" Orihime asked. "Can I come back to life?" She wanted so desperately to return to life again so she could be with Ichigo in the real world.

But Orihime/Soul King simply shook her head. "There is no way for me to return to life, Orihime. My body and soul which were absorbed by Yhwach and destroyed when he died. I can no longer assume my place as the Soul King anymore."

"Wait…" Orihime stopped her. "If you're not the Soul King anymore…then how are we still here? Osho told us that you were the lynchpin that kept the three worlds together. So if you're dead then how are the worlds existing?"

Sighing, Orihime/Soul King looked at Orihime with a sad expression. "With what will I still possess I have been maintaining the balance of the worlds together. But shortly after you died, I soon found myself realizing that this was merely delaying the inevitable. My consciousness is fading. In the near future I will cease to exist and all that you see and know shall cease to exist with me…."

Orihime's eyes widened in horror. If the Soul King's consciousness faded then all of her friends would perish as well. "Can we stop it?" she asked with hopeful eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief when Orihime/Soul King nodded but noticed that she was looking at with a forlorn expression. "What is it?"

"My will is fading. When I sensed that it was a matter of when and not if, I knew that the time had come for someone to take my place. It is for that purpose that I recalled your spirit from the cycle of rebirth. With my will fueling your body and your spirit you may take my place."

Orihime gasped, not believing what she was hearing. "You mean…you mean you want me to be…to be…."

"The new Soul Queen. Yes."

So many thoughts ran through Orihime's overly imaginative mind. She saw herself sitting on a golden throne with a crown and a scepter with Ichigo standing beside her. But then she remembered when she saw the Soul King and gasped in horror at the realization of her reality. "You mean…I have to be…encased in that crystal?"

Orihime/Soul King sadly nodded. "Yes. Unlike Yhwach, who had the strength of will to move, your body will be enshrined in a crystal in order to anchor you to the three worlds."

The ghostly teen started to breathe faster as she realized what the dead king was saying. "But…but if I do that then…I'll never get to be with Ichigo!"

Another nod was Orihime/Soul King's answer. "Yes. Your astral body will reintegrate into your real body and my will shall become a part of you. As such, your presence inside Ichigo Kurosaki's soul will cease to exist."

"No…." Orihime couldn't fight the tears as she saw the truth of things. "I can't…I can't!" she shouted. "I love Ichigo! I can't leave him alone again!" She shook her head as she floated backwards. "He was so happy when I came back to him. I can't leave him!"

"You have to," Orihime/Soul King said. "I do not have much time left, Orihime. If you do not take my place, then all you know and love will vanish. That includes your love, Ichigo."

"NO!" Orihime screamed, floating away. "I can't! I can't leave Ichigo alone! Not after he suffered my death the first time!" she cried, her hands going to her crying face. "It'll destroy him! I can't do it!"

"Orihime, this isn't about you," Orihime/Soul King chastised. "This is about to the world. Will you let all those you love die so that you may have Ichigo?"

"I…I…" Orihime choked. This was the most impossible of choices. ' _No,'_ she thought as she shook her head. ' _This isn't a choice! This is…horrible!'_ She turned away and started to float away from her cadaver. "No…I can't…I can't leave him…Ichigo…."

"Orihime," the dead king inside her corpse said before Orihime suddenly vanished, returning to Ichigo. "Hmm…what to do?" the Soul King pondered before lying back down, putting the sheet over her head before closing her eyes and going back to being just a dead body.

"Orihime, you need to choose who is more important to you: Ichigo? Or the world?"

As for Orihime, she found herself back in Ichigo's inner world. Dropping to her knees, she buried her face in her hands and wept, wishing that her second chance of life with Ichigo was about to come to an end….

To be continued


	8. Ichigo's Pain

Chapter 8: Ichigo's Pain

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Angst!**

 _ **The Next Day….  
**_ **Karakura Town**

A golden Getsuga Tensho erupted from the white, elegant zanpakuto in Ichigo's hand, destroying the Hollow he'd been fighting. He sighed as he sheathed his longsword and turned away. He'd gone out on Hollow patrol after a day of lounging around but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Orihime was inside his Inner World but she'd barely said a word since Ichigo had woken up that morning. Ichigo could tell that something was bothering his ethereal love but didn't know how to broach the subject.

Drawing his zanpakuto blades, Ichigo said their new name and transformed them into their new, sleeker forms. He stared at their new release states and couldn't help but smile. Things were starting to look up again. His zanpakuto blades had been renewed, better than ever. The darkness in his heart had been cleared away. And more importantly, he had Orihime back. No matter what, he wouldn't lose her again.

The subtle rumbling of the ground snapped Ichigo out of his musings. "Another one? Damn, when's it going to quit?" He'd thought that the death of Yhwach would restore the Soul King but these tremors were starting to worry him. Sheathing his swords, Ichigo decided to head on home.

Reaching his house, he found that the home was empty, his father leaving a note saying that he was taking Ichigo's sisters out to a movie. Moving his body, which had remained on the bed where he'd left it, Ichigo laid it on the floor before sitting on the bed. Drawing his swords, he laid them on the lap and performed the familiar pose of Jinzen, entering his Inner World to see Orihime.

Right off the bat, Ichigo knew something was wrong when he saw his friend. Orihime had her back to him, kneeling on the ground. The sound of sobbing filled the silent area, making Ichigo fearful for what was wrong. "Orihime," he called out, walking over to her.

Orihime had not noticed Ichigo's arrival and tried her best to dry her eyes before rising to her feet. The words she'd had with the Soul King that was trapped inside her own dead body had been weighing heavily on her and she didn't know what to do. "Ichigo…" she responded as she turned around.

Ichigo saw the red in Orihime's eyes and knew she'd been crying. "What's wrong?" he asked as he approached her. "I know that it must be hard being here but I promise that I'll find a way to return you to your body. You know that," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders as a show of support.

But Orihime shook her head. Her lower lip trembled as she looked down at the ground, unsure of what to how to tell her friend what'd transpired between her and the Soul King. ' _What could I possibly say? I can't break Ichigo's heart. I just can't!'_

Ichigo's hand tilted her chin up so that he could look into her hazel eyes. "Orihime, what's wrong?" he asked again. Seeing the love of his life with such pain in her eyes made his heart feel like it was being ripped in two. "Are you okay?"

Orihime merely shook her head again. "No."

"What's happened?" Fear began to creep into Ichigo. Was Orihime fading away? Could she sense something happening to the Soul Society? "You can tell me, Orihime."

Trying her hardest to fight back the tears, Orihime opened her mouth to speak. "I…I don't know how to say it…Ichigo…I-" But whatever words she had for him went unspoken. In the blink of an eye Ichigo vanished from her sight. She blinked for a moment before she realized that Ichigo was no longer in his Inner World. "Huh? Where'd he go?"

As for Ichigo, the boy felt a wave of disorientation as he was ripped from his Inner World. He fell back on the bed, his zanpakutos falling from his lap. His vision blurred for a moment before it corrected itself. Looking around to find the cause of this disturbance, Ichigo was baffled to see who'd interrupted his time with Orihime. "Captain Kyoraku?"

The new Head-Captain of the Thirteen Court tipped his hat to the disoriented Substitute. "Sorry for the rough ride, Ichigo, but I need you and I need you pronto."

Getting up, Ichigo quickly sheathed his swords again. "What's the matter? Is it Yhwach? Has something happened to the Soul Society?" he asked in a panic, remembering the scared look on Orihime's face.

Kyoraku was oddly somber as he held up his hand, silencing the boy. "Don't freak out, Ichigo," he said in a low, calm voice. "This has nothing to do with Yhwach. But it does involve the Soul Society. And the World of the Living."

Ichigo had an idea where this was going. "Is this about the tremors I've been feeling? I thought that everything went back to normal when I killed Yhwach!" he insisted.

"As nice as that sounds, I'm afraid life didn't quite give us the happily ever after we'd hoped for." He turned around and drew his short sword to open up a Senkaimon in the middle of Ichigo's room. "Come with me, Ichigo. It's important."

Putting his body back into bed, Ichigo followed Kyoraku through the portal, scared for what might be happening. Unknown to him, Orihime, deep inside his Inner World, was just as scared as he was, only for a different reason…

 _ **Minutes later…  
**_ **Squad 12; R &D Department**

"Captain Kyoraku, why're we at Squad 12?" Ichigo asked. With every second, the butterflies in his stomach became worse and worse. Kyoraku had barely said a word to Ichigo at all on the trip here, seeming more serious than usual. Ichigo knew that the man barely survived his battle with the X Sternritter but he had a feeling that Kyoraku's silence wasn't due to his severe injuries. The man walked with a limp but showed no signs of fragility.

"There's a few people who'd like a word with you," Kyoraku simply said as he reached the end of the hallway. Stopping at the door, Kyoraku turned to face the young man before him. "Ichigo, I won't lie to you. You deserve honesty after what you've done for us. What you see in here…you're not going to like it." He put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "All I ask is that you try to keep calm. Okay?"

"What's in there?" Ichigo asked, unable to hide the fear on his face. Kyoraku was never serious. So for him to be so now threw up a lot of red flags.

"Promise me," Kyoraku insisted, the eye he still had left staring intently at Ichigo.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ichigo slowly nodded, unsure of what was happening. "I…promise."

Kyoraku nodded in return. "That'll have to do then." He turned around and opened the doors to Kurotsuchi's lab. "Come with me."

Ichigo followed him into the dark laboratory. He saw to his surprise that he and Kyoraku weren't the only ones inside. He saw that most of the remaining captains who'd survived the war present, as well as Kisuke and Yoruichi, all gathered around a table. He realized morbidly that the object on the table was a human cadaver, its face covered by a white sheet. All eyes turned to Ichigo as he entered. More red flags were thrown up as he entered. "What's going on? Why's everyone here?" he noticed how several people were missing. "Hey wait, where's Rukia and Renji?"

"They're helping with the reconstruction efforts. We…felt that it'd be best if they weren't present…" Shinji said, the discomfort on his face apparent.

"Are you okay, Shinji?"

Scowling, the captain of Squad Five pointed to his bandages. "Does this look like I'm okay? First I got blown away by a psycho, then I got smashed into the ground by a giant the size of a skyscraper. In case you haven't noticed, we're all a mess," he admitted, gesturing to everyone. "The old man, Unohana and Ukitake are all dead, Komamura's left us. Most of our lieutenants are either hospitalized or dead. Rose, Love, Hitsugaya and Rangiku got turned into zombies and had their lifespans cut short thanks to Mayuri." Shinji took a deep breath before shaking his head. "Sorry for snapping like that but as you can see, it's been a rough ride for all of us."

Ichigo turned to the remaining captains. "What is this all about?" He felt another tremor and cursed. "Another one? Why is this happening?" He noticed how all of the captains were silent and wished that someone would please tell him what was going on.

Byakuya walked around several of the captains until he was in front of the dead body on the table. "Ichigo, there's something you need to know. It involves Orihime."

"What do you mean? What does Orihime have to do with this?"

"Because of this." Byakuya carefully pulled back the sheet to reveal Orihime's face.

Ichigo put a hand over his mouth and stumbled backwards, trying his best not to vomit in front of everyone. The memories of that day when Orihime died came rushing back to him and he felt his eyes water with grief. All of the pain and sadness came roaring back to him in an instant, the sight of Orihime's dead body a reminder that his true love was dead. He angrily looked at Byakuya, his hands balling into fists. "You sick bastard! Is this some kind of joke?!" he demanded.

"This is no joke, Ichigo. Far from it," came a voice from behind him.

Ichibei Hyōsube, or Osho as he's referred as, entered the room, having recovered from his death and resurrection. The sound of his clogs clacking on the tile floor filled with room as he walked towards the group. The man's large eyes turned to Ichigo and he quickly saw the soul of the girl who's cadaver was on the table. "It's just as I feared."

"What are you talking about? What is all this? ANSWER ME!" Ichigo demanded, tired of everyone being so ominous.

Walking past Ichigo, Osho decided not to hold back the truth any longer. "We are without a king, Ichigo. The worlds are in danger of tearing apart."

"What? Why? I thought that the Soul King would be restored when Yhwach died!" Ichigo insisted.

Osho shook his head. "Wrong. The Soul King was assimilated by Yhwach. There was no recovering him after the man's remains disintegrated, leaving us without an anchor to keep the balance of the three worlds." He reached the table and put a hand on Orihime's head, his fingers grazing her eyelids. "Come here, Ichigo. You need to see this."

The other captains moved aside to let Ichigo walk up to the large monk. Ichigo tried his best to remind himself that Orihime was alive inside his Inner World but it was hard to say that when her dead body was right in front of him. "But if the king's dead, how are we still here?"

"There was a contingency," Osho confessed. "Kyoraku, Central 46 and I devised a backup in the event that we were unable to save the king. The Soul King's body was dead but his spirit would linger for a short while. If the king couldn't be saved then we would replace him with a new one by fusing his spirit with a new king," he turned his eyes towards the Substitute, "You."

Ichigo went white as the sheet covering Orihime. "Me?" He remembered the state that the Soul King had been in, limbless and trapped inside crystal. "You wanted to make me into that?!"

Kyoraku pulled his hat over his eyes, unable to look the young man in the eye. "We're not proud of it. But desperate times called for desperate measures. In the event that it came to pass, I gave your friends and family Soul Tickets so that they could see you if the need truly became apparent."

All Ichigo could do was look at him in disbelief. "I would never agree to that!"

When Kyoraku looked up, the look in his eye made Ichigo feel very small. "You're assuming you'd have a choice in the matter."

Osho interrupted them by putting a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "That was our contingency. But I suppose even the best laid plans can go to waste. We wondered why the king's spirit didn't inhabit your body when you slayed Yhwach since you were the only person capable of holding such power as well as the fact that you were the one who killed the king. What we didn't realize, however, was that there was a second candidate, one that the Soul King chose himself." He pulled back Orihime's eyelids, revealing the eyes of the Soul King.

Ichigo took a step back out of horror, the sight of Orihime with those eyes almost too much to bear. "You mean…Orihime's the Soul King now?!" he gaped, unable to believe this was happening.

Kyoraku scratched the back of his head. "Well…more like Soul Queen. The king must've inhabited her body when they came into contact as a last resort to save himself from Yhwach."

"But Orihime never-" Ichigo stopped himself when he remembered something. He recalled Yoruichi telling Orihime to try to use her powers to restore the Soul King but her Shun Shun Rikka failed to revive him. "You mean…that was what caused it?"

"It was," Osho confirmed. "The Soul King's consciousness is inhabiting Orihime's body. It is what's keeping our worlds together. But I'm afraid that his strength is failing." He turned to Ichigo and decided to get to the heart of the matter. "Ichigo, when Orihime passed away, the King brought her consciousness out of the cycle of rebirth. That's why her spirit lingers on."

"Yeah but…why is she inside my Inner World? And also, why did my Zanpakuto's change when she did?" Ichigo asked.

"I believe it is for two reasons. The first is obvious: when Yhwach stole your powers your zanpakuto became hollow, so to speak. Your swords had power but it was only a shallow memory of what they were. When she encountered you, she took up the empty space that Zangetsu left behind. The other reason," he said with a sad look on his face, "is because your despair and agony drew her to you. Your guilt and pain drew you both together and let her enter your soul."

Ichigo had a bad idea where this was heading. "So…what do we need to do to get the Soul King's consciousness out of her body?" The captains all simply stared at Ichigo uncomfortably. Behind the boy, Soi-Fon and Kensei put a hand to their weapons… "Can we revive Orihime?" he asked hopeful to see Orihime in the flesh again.

Osho looked at Ichigo for a tense moment before shaking his head. "I know what it is you want, Ichigo. But I cannot give it to you. We can restore Orihime to life but it will require her to take the Soul King's place. And the only way to do that," he pointed a finger at Ichigo's heart, "is for you to let her go. You must relinquish Orihime's spirit so that we may fuse it with the king's."

All of the blood in Ichigo's body went cold when he realized what Osho was saying. He understood what they were all asking. "What…what happens if Orihime becomes Soul Queen?" he asked fearfully.

Closing his eyes, Osho sighed. "She will be taken to the Royal Realm for protection where she will rule over the Soul Society. If you're asking me whether or not the two of you can ever be together…" he opened his eyes before shaking his head, "the answer is no. When Orihime is freed from the confines of your soul, we will merge it with her body and the Soul King's consciousness, preserving her in crystal so that she may become the new anchor.."

Despite so many people watching him, Ichigo couldn't stop the tears from falling down his face. His worst nightmare had come true. Even worse, his own friends and mentors were asking him to do the unthinkable, the one thing that he simply could not do: let Orihime go. "No…" he whispered, taking a step back.

Toshiro, who'd remained silent with the rest of the captains, spoke up, hoping to bring Ichigo to his senses. "Ichigo, listen to reason! If you don't return Orihime's spirit to her body, then everything will soon be destroyed."

"No…"

Soi-Fon scowled at the boy. "Ichigo! This is bigger than you! We all know what you've went through but-"

"NO!"

Faced with the unbearable truth, Ichigo did the only thing he could in this situation: run. Turning away from everyone Ichigo bolted towards the door, only for the person who'd been hiding in the shadows next to it to put himself between it and Ichigo.

Ichigo, in a fit of blind anguish, drew his swords. "Kenpachi! MOVE!"

But the massive captain stood his ground, staring at Ichigo with a mournful eye. He respected Ichigo and trusted him like he was one of his own men. But as much as he respected the boy, even he was still bound to his duty as a captain.

With Kenpachi barring his way and the other captains closing in on him, Ichigo gave the man one final warning, tears running down his face as his heart sank into blind despair. "Get out of my way!" he shouted.

"Ichigo, I won't," Kenpachi said in a surprisingly calm voice. "Put your swords down," he commanded. In his hands was his zanpakuto. He wanted to fight Ichigo again but not like this. Still, if Ichigo forced him to act, he would.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Before anyone could stop him, Ichigo unleashed his signature move on Kenpachi at point-blank range. "GETSUGA TENSHO!"

Everyone was shocked and horrified as the blast sent Kenpachi flying, the man colliding with the doors and flying past the doors. Ichigo took advantage of everyone's shock and ran away, moving past the fallen Kenpachi, the man lying on the ground with a large wound on his chest. Ichigo couldn't tell if the man was dead or alive but he didn't care. He ran past the scared scientists who cowered as he ran past them, fleeing the R&D department.

' _I can't… I can't lose Orihime again! I won't! I WON'T!'_

To be continued

 **A.N.: The funny thing about this chapter is I didn't even make up the part where Shunsui and Osho planned on making Ichigo the replacement Soul King. That part was revealed in the light novel** _ **Can't Fear Your Own World**_ **and is technically canon.**


	9. Ichigo's Choice

Chapter 9: Ichigo's Choice

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Angst!**

 **Squad Twelve; R &D Dept.**

Toshiro and Rose rushed to the fallen Kenpachi's aid while the others looked on in shock. Shinji looked back at the deceased Orihime's corpse and shook his head. "We shouldn't have asked him. Not like this."

"He needed to know," Kyoraku objected.

Shinji cursed and glared at his commander. "No disrespect, Head-Captain, but I know Ichigo a little better than you and the others. I knew from the get-go that Ichigo wouldn't take the news well, especially since you practically rubbed his girlfriend's dead body in his face," he said with a hint of anger. Ichigo was one of the few people that Shinji cared about and respected. The Vizard knew that Ichigo deserved better than that.

Toshiro inspected Kenpachi and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the man still breathed. "He's alive!" he called out to the others. "Send for Isane, quick!"

Soi-Fon barked some orders to some of the men nearby before turning away from the assembled captains. "I will mobilize the Stealth Force and find Ichigo Kurosaki."

Shinji scowled at the woman. "You know he won't come quietly."

"I don't give a damn," Soi-Fon said coldly. "I don't care that he stopped Aizen and Yhwach. Right now, his selfishness is going to bring the Soul Society to ruin. I'll have him apprehended and immobilized. Then we'll drag Orihime Inoue's consciousness out of him, by force if we have to."

"It's not that simple."

All eyes turned to Osho, who'd been watching the captains bicker silently. "You can tie him up as much as you like, Soi-Fon. You can torture him, drug him, beat him within an inch of his life but he still will refuse to relinquish Orihime's consciousness. This is something that Ichigo, and Ichigo alone, must do."

"What are you saying?" Kyoraku asked.

"As I told the boy, it was his grief and his pain that drew Orihime into his Inner World. Even if she were to leave, she'd find herself back inside the recesses of Ichigo's spirit no matter what. No," the monk sighed, shaking his head, "the only way for Orihime to free herself from Ichigo is for Ichigo to free himself from his grief. He has to let her go."

The room became silent as the captains realized that this was beyond them. Once again the world hinged on Ichigo's decision.

"That might be impossible," Kyoraku glumly put. "We were all there after the battle. We all know how Ichigo was when she died." He himself knew the pain of loss. However, Ichigo's pain was much different from the pain he felt when his brother and sister-in-law died, nor was it similar to when Ukitake died.

Shinji headed for the door. "I'll find him. I know Ichigo the most. I'll try to talk sense into him."

"Wait."

The blonde turned to see Byakuya Kuchiki walk up to him. "What do you want?"

"I'll go."

Shinji deadpanned. "Uh…no. No offense, Byakuya, but right now, Ichigo needs a friend, not the guy who almost tried to kill him," he said bluntly. "Right now, he's unstable and-"

"And that," Byakuya interrupted, "is exactly why I should go to him."

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Kisuke's Underground Lair Beneath Sokyoku Hill**

Pain. Misery. Anguish. Despair.

So much despair.

Ichigo sat on a rock, curled up into a ball. Tears ran down his face. This was the worst pain Ichigo had experienced in his life. He'd watched his mother die, been stabbed repeatedly by multiple blades, had a hole blown in his chest and had his powers stripped from him. But this was a pain which he felt he couldn't endure.

" _Ichigo…"_

The boy flinched when he heard Orihime's voice from inside of him. "Orihime…I can't…" he sobbed. His mind became a collage of his memories of Orihime. From the first day they met to the moment he found her cold, lifeless body. "I can't lose you again."

" _But Ichigo, if I don't become the new anchor for the three worlds then…"_

Ichigo stiffened, knowing that the truth was bearing down on him. He wasn't stupid. He knew he was being selfish. ' _So what?! What's wrong with being selfish? After all I've done, I have to lose Orihime again?!'_ he thought to himself. He heard Orihime pleading from inside his Inner World but his friend's voice fell on deaf ears.

But his thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps coming towards him. He immediately leapt off the rock and drew his zanpakuto blades. He expected Osho, Kyoraku or Soi-Fon but instead he saw…

"Byakuya?"

The Kuchiki Clan leader slowly walked up to the boy. He saw the distraught look on his face and the swords in his hands. He opened up his _Haori_ to reveal that his Senbonzakura was nowhere on his person. "I am not here to fight you, Ichigo," the man said. With a surprisingly soft look on his face, he continued to walk towards the grieving Substitute. "I'm here to help you."

"Help me?" Ichigo questioned.

The man again gestured to his lack of weapon. "I am here to talk, Ichigo. If you want to attack me like you did Zaraki, then I will not stop you." Reaching the boy, he sat down next to him and gestured for him to sit. Hesitantly, Ichigo sat down next to Byakuya on the rock, neither Soul Reaper saying anything.

Another tremor rumbled beneath their feet, reminding Ichigo of what will happen if Orihime didn't become the Soul Queen. But just the mere thought of his beloved Orihime trapped forever in a crystal stasis, unable to see her again made his heart clench with pain. The tears returned as he sat next to Byakuya, not caring if what the man thought. "Byakuya…"

"I know," the captain said gently. He didn't come here as a captain or as a clan leader, bound by duty to stop Ichigo form his own selfishness. Right now he was just a man trying to help another. "Ichigo, I know what it's like to lose someone dear to you," he told him.

Ichigo tried to dry his eyes. "You mean your wife, right?" he recalled vaguely.

Byakuya nodded. "I watched as my wife died before my eyes. The pain I felt that day," he put a hand over his heart before he pointed at Ichigo's, "is the same you feel now. When Orihime died-"

"Don't!" Ichigo spat angrily. "You don't have the right to compare my pain to yours!"

"Maybe," Byakuya admitted. "When you told us that Orihime had returned to you in spirit, I was happy. I was happy for you," he said with the smallest of smiles. "I don't respect many people, Ichigo. You are one of the few exceptions. You saved us all and yet you lost more than any of us. I knew that something was wrong when you told us about she came back to you but I stayed my hand. I didn't want to hurt you more than you've already been hurt. If our positions were reversed, I'd be in the exact same position you are in."

"Byakuya," Ichigo muttered, looking away. "I can't…I just can't…"

"I know," he nodded. "Ichigo, what do you want?"

"I want Orihime," the boy said. "I want her back." He looked down at his hands. "I want to hold her in my arms."

"And what does she want?"

Ichigo blinked. "What?"

"You're in pain." Byakuya reached out and put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "But you're forgetting her. How do you think she feels, being locked in the depths of your Inner World? Or knowing what she must do but you won't let her?"

Silence filled the chamber as Ichigo stared down at the ground, knowing that Byakuya was right. ' _Orihime…'_

 _"He's right, Ichigo. I don't want to leave you. But I don't want everyone to suffer because of me._ "

Taking deep breaths, Ichigo placed the smaller of the two Zangetsu blades on his lap. "I need to speak with Orihime," he quietly said.

Byakuya nodded. "I'll be waiting right here."

Ichigo wasn't even surprise when he saw that his Inner World was underwater again. The once great skyscrapers were now in ruins, a result of Ichigo's grief and pain. "Orihime," he said, knowing that the girl he loved was somewhere among the ruins of his pained soul.

Amidst the dark murkiness of the water came a bright golden glow. Orihime appeared in front of him, glowing in the darkness, like she was a beacon of hope amidst Ichigo's sadness. Ichigo immediately wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. His tears mingled with the water as he held her, wishing that time could stand still so he'd never have to let her go. "Orihime…" he sobbed.

The girl ran a hand through his hair gently, understanding how torn her friend was. "It's alright, Ichigo," she whispered. She'd listened to Byakuya's words and had come to terms with what she had to do. Now, she had to get Ichigo to come to terms. "Ichigo, you know that I can't stay," she said, her own heart clenching at the words. She hated this. She wished that she could stay here forever, to stay with Ichigo. But she knew that it wasn't to be. And she knew that deep down, Ichigo knew it too.

"I can't…" Ichigo choked, pulling away from Orihime and looking away. "I can't lose you again!"

"Ichigo," Orihime wrapped her arms around Ichigo and hugged him from behind. "If I don't, then Tatsuki will die. Rukia will die. Uryu and Chad will die. Your dad, your sisters. Everyone…"

Hanging his head, Ichigo closed his eyes. He thought about his family, his classmates, Rukia, Renji, Byakuya and the other Soul Reapers. Deep down inside, Ichigo knew that if Orihime didn't take the Soul King's place, they would all die. He touched Orihime's hands, finding them warm in the cold water. "Orihime, I can't live without you," he mumbled. "When I lost you…I thought that I lost a part of me forever."

Continuing to hug Ichigo, Orihime laid her head on his shoulder. "Ichigo, when I died…my final thoughts were of you. I knew that you would be devastated…but I also knew you'd move on." Her hug tightened as she smiled. "You're the strongest, kindest person I ever met. You're the person I loved the most. And that's why…I have to do this."

"…I know…" Ichigo said after a moment. He turned around and hugged Orihime again. The two friends looked into each other's eyes, tears coming from the both of them as they realized that this might be the last time they could say what needed to be said.

"Ichigo…" Orihime whispered. She knew she'd never get this chance again. This time, she wouldn't hesitate. "I love you." She leaned forward and kissed Ichigo.

Ichigo's mind turned blank as Orihime kissed him, the two friends floating in the water. As they parted, Ichigo cupped her face and kissed her back. "I love you too, Orihime," he confessed.

"I will always love you, Ichigo," she whispered, "but you need to let me go."

Closing his eyes, Ichigo held her close again. "Alright, Orihime," he finally said. "I'll do it." He kissed her again, wishing once more that time could stand still for him. "I have to go…" The despair and darkness that clouded Ichigo's heart began to lift, the ruins of the skyscrapers putting themselves back together.

"Go, Ichigo," Orihime smiled, thankful that she'd gotten through to him. "They need you."

"They need us both," Ichigo replied before he left his Inner World, returning to the real world.

True to his word, Byakuya was waiting for him when he left his Inner World. When Ichigo's head snapped up, Byakuya readied himself. He hoped that the boy had come to his senses but if he was still hellbent on damning everyone for his own selfishness then he'd take drastic measures.

The man was taken by surprise, however, when Ichigo looked up at him and gave him a sad nod. "Okay, Byakuya. You win…"he said.

Ichigo was taken aback when Byakuya put a hand on his shoulder. "I know that this can't be easy, Ichigo. For what it's worth, I am truly sorry." Getting up, he pointed to the ladder. "We must hurry. Osho told us that the Soul King can't keep this up for much longer."

Solemnly, Ichigo followed Byakuya's lead, afraid of what was to come…

To be continued


	10. The Old King is Dead Long Live the Queen

Final Chapter: The Old King is Dead. Long Live the Queen!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _ **An Hour later…  
**_ **Soul King's Palace**

The ride was bumpy as Ichigo, once again, was tossed around like a leaf in the wind. He and the captains had to endure the ride up to the Soul King's Palace with Ohso's Tenchuren, going through Kukkaku's cannon again. Luckily, they manage to keep Orihime's body on a floating stretcher so thankfully the girl was saved the indignity of being tossed about like on a rollercoaster. In addition, Yoruichi, Chad and Uryu had been brought along, having been told the situation by Kyoraku.

The captains all breathed a sigh of relief when Byakuya achieved with Ichigo. He apologized for his selfishness but the other captains stopped him. They all knew that he didn't want this and they didn't want to see him suffer any more than he had. Hell, even Kenpachi forgave Ichigo for almost killing him, so willing to let things go. Telling Osho to Orihime was ready to become Queen, Ichigo was led to the Tenchuren and blasted up into the Soul King's Palace; or to be more precise, what was left of it.

Yhwach's Wahrwelt had been demolished. The cityscape of the Vandenreich had been all but extinguished, replaced by the familiar site of the five floating cities. The cocoon-shaped royal palace had been rebuild and was floating in the middle of the floating cities.

Ichigo's heart pounded in his chest as they walked down the wooden rampart. He noticed that the other Squad Zero captains weren't around. "Hey, Osho?" he asked the monk, "where's Tenjiro and the others?"

Osho sighed. "Unfortunately the other members of Squad Zero fell in battle against Yhwach's Royal Guard. I was able to revive them in a manner similar to how you revived me. They are alive now but resting. They are weak. We were the vassals of the Soul King and failed to save him. Right now their spirits are as wounded as their bodies. But more than that," he turned his head towards the floating stretcher with Orihime's body. "We are tied to the Spirit King. They, as well as I, are weak from the failing strength of the Soul King."

Ichigo frowned, knowing how dire the situation was. With a glum expression he and the rest of the captains followed Osho into the Palace. They took Orihime's body to the throne room, the very place where Ichigo had cut the original Soul King to pieces, thanks in no small part of Yhwach's machinations. The captains saw that Osho and the soldiers that Squad Zero commanded had set up an elaborate circle in the middle of the room, three floating crystals at the edges of it.

The new Head-Captain watched as Osho removed Orihime's body from the stretcher, laying it on the ground in the middle of the circle. "So how's this supposed to work?" he asked, stating the question they'd all been thinking.

Rubbing his bald head, Osho turned to the boy who was the center of all of this sadness. Ichigo didn't meet his eyes, instead focusing his gaze on the ground. "Ichigo," he addressed. The boy looked up at him, a sad knowing in his eyes. "You know what you have to do."

"I…I don't know if I can…" Ichigo confessed. Even after what he told Byakuya, he didn't know if he had the heart to do what needed to be done.

"You have to," Osho simply stated. "This choice is yours and yours alone."

Ichigo walked over to Orihime dead body, the cadaver wrapped in a soft white sheet, and knelt down in front of it. He gently cradled her and held her in his arms. He couldn't fight back the tears as he remembered doing the exact same thing when he'd learned she'd died. "I'm so sorry, Orihime," he whispered, not caring if the captains heard him. "I wish I could have saved you."

" _You didn't do anything wrong, Ichigo,"_ Orihime told him, sensing the anguish returning to his heart. " _I finally got to fight next to you. I was able to fix your sword when you needed it. I was happy. I still am."_

Closing his eyes, Ichigo thought about everything he'd gone through. All the battles he'd faced, all the turmoil he'd suffered, all of it. He thought about Orihime, going to class with her, venturing into the Soul Society to save Rukia, going to Hueco Mundo to save her and the final battle against Yhwach. "I would trade every day of my life…if I could just have one more day with you," he whispered, his tears falling onto her face. "But I can't." He finally said the words that he needed to say, to finally give himself solace. "I have to let you go."

As if a lock on his own heart had been undone, Ichigo glowed bright blue before his spiritual pressure changed. His color turning bright gold, the captains watched in awe as what seemed to be an angel ascended from Ichigo's body. They saw the ghostly figure of Orihime Inoue looming over Ichigo and her body, smiling warmly down at her friend.

Standing next to her brother, Rukia couldn't help but cry herself when she realized this was going to be the last time she'd see her friend again. "Orihime…" she choked. Byakuya put a hand on Rukia's shoulder to steady her. He would have told her to show more dignity but he knew better than most how much Orihime meant to his sister.

Orihime's spirit turned to her friend and gave her a warm smile. "Don't cry, Rukia. I'm happy. I got to see you all one more time." She saw Chad and Uryu also close to tears. "You were the best friends a person could have. I would not change anything." Her spirit neared her body and she turned her full attention to the one who loved her dearly. "Ichigo…"

Ichigo laid her body down and stood up. "Orihime…"

The girl's soul drifted down to her body. The spirit glowed gold before becoming a bright golden orb. The orb floated down to her body and entered it. Orihime's eyes opened up as life was breathed back into her body. Standing up, Orihime looked down at herself before turning to Ichigo.

"Orihime, your eyes," Ichigo noted. Orihime's eyes were back to normal. They were their natural hazel orbs and not the bizarre eyes of the Soul King.

"Orihime's soul has yet to merge with the Soul King's," Osho explained. "It will not be long though. When the merger happens we must stabilize her. Do not worry," Osho added. "We won't be removing her limbs like we did the old king."

The change in Orihime's spiritual pressure made it clear that Ichigo didn't have enough time. "Orihime," he choked, knowing that this was the end. He reached out and caressed Orihime's cheek. "I love you," he said.

Orihime wrapped her arms around her love and hugged him tightly. "I love you too, Ichigo," she whispered back. The others watched with tears in their eyes as they kissed one last time, wishing that the two friends' love could last.

When they pulled away, Ichigo saw Orihime's eyes begin to change. "I promise," he choked. "I will never forget you."

Smiling, Orihime pulled away from Ichigo. She looked at Ichigo but her vision suddenly unfolded into a kaleidoscope. "What is this?" she asked, suddenly becoming afraid.

The voice of the Soul King gave her the answer. "Our power is over all three worlds. As such, you, like me, now have omniscience. It was a power, I'm afraid, that was passed down to Yhwach."

Orihime understood what the king was telling her. Turning her gaze to Ichigo, she instantly saw her friend's future.

It warmed her heart to see that Ichigo would move on with his life, past his grief for his lost love. He would find love in the arms of Tatsuki, who shared his pain for the lost Orihime, and the two would marry and live a happy life. Knowing that Ichigo would be okay made her content.

"It's beginning," Osho started. "She's begun to assimilate the King's consciousness. We need to begin." He and the other soldiers circled Orihime as she floated off the ground. The crystals pulsed and began to circle Orihime, spinning around her.

Orihime felt her feet become encased in bright crystal, the transition to becoming an anchor beginning. Knowing she was running out of time, Orihime turned to her friends. "Chad, thank you for training with me and being there for me."

"Orihime…" Chad mumbled, unable to believe this was happening.

"Uryu, I'm glad that in the end you were my friend," she said with a happy smile.

Pushing his glasses up, Uryu smiled at his friend, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Goodbye, Orihime. Being your friend was an honor."

Her body almost entirely encased in crystal by now, Orihime then turned her gaze to Ichigo. The crying Substitute and the ascending queen smiled at each other. ' _Finally, I can say what I wanted to say,'_ Orihime thought.

"Goodbye, Ichigo."

Giving her his bravest smile, Ichigo nodded. "Goodbye, Orihime."

The heartbroken Substitute watched as Orihime's head became encased in crystal, completing the process. Orihime's body pulsed and the ground shook one more time before a calm stillness filled the air.

Osho dropped to his knees and bowed. The rest of the captains followed suit and knelt before Orihime. "We have a new Queen. Hail to Soul Queen Orihime."

"Hail!" the other captains said.

Dropping to his knees, Ichigo lowered his head for a moment, shedding more tears before he looked up. Standing up, he put a hand on the crystal and gave his friend one last smile. "Goodbye, Orihime." Turning around, he looked at Chad, Uryu and Yoruichi.

"Let's go home."

 _ **Ten Years later…  
**_ **Karakura Cemetery**

"Daddy?" a little boy with orange hair squeaked as he walked in between his parents, both mother and father holding his hands. "Are we there yet?"

Tatsuki Kurosaki smiled down at her child. "Almost there, sweetie." The family walked past rows of graves before Tatsuki spotted the one they were looking for. "There she is."

The boy, little Kazui Kurosaki, was the spitting image of his father when he was a child. He looked up as they reached the grave and was confused. This wasn't the day they visited his grandmother's grave. He knew that his parents would come to the graveyard on this day every year but he was too young to understand. This year though, his parents had decided to bring him along to visit an old friend.

Looking at the grave, Kazui read the name out loud. "Ori…hime…Inoue," he read. He looked up at his father with curious eyes. "Who was that, Daddy?"

Now older and mature, Ichigo looked at the grave and thought about his friend, now the Soul Queen. Though she was encased in crystal Orihime was not without power. She granted Ichigo the power of the Oken, making him an unofficial member of Squad Zero so that if the day came when she was in danger, her white knight could come rescue her. Still, it had been years since Ichigo had seen the Queen, deciding to move on with his life.

As Orihime had foreseen, he found love in the arms of his best friend, Tatsuki. The girl was initially angry at Ichigo, having lost the chance to get her best friend back. But soon the anger faded and Ichigo confided his feelings towards her. On a fateful evening the two became lovers. Marriage soon followed and their family became complete when Kazui was born.

Looking down at his son, Ichigo patted his head. "She was someone very dear to your mother and I. She was your mother's best friend…and mine."

"What happened to her?" Kazui asked abruptly.

"She died a hero," he simply said.

Kazui could see the look in both his parent's eyes and knew that this Orihime was special to them. "I wish I could meet her," he said as he turned back to the grave.

"Maybe one day," Ichigo said. Tatsuki laid down a bouquet of flowers in front of the grave. The two agreed to come to Orihime's grave on her birthday to remember her. They knew that she wasn't technically dead anymore but the Orihime Inoue they knew was forever gone now and they had to honor her memory.

Reaching into his pocket, Ichigo pulled something he'd kept with him for the longest time.

"What are those, Daddy?"

Ichigo laid Orihime's hairpins in front of the grave next to the flowers. They no longer held the powers of Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka but Ichigo had kept them all the same until now. He felt that he didn't need them anymore to remember her by. "Something that was very precious to her." He looked down at his son and saw confusion written in his face. "I'll tell you when you're older." He gestured to Tatsuki and the mother led Kazui away. Turning back to the grave, Ichigo shed a single tear. "I'll always remember you, Orihime," he softly said. "And I promise, I'll never stop loving you." Turning away he rejoined his family.

Kazui stopped to tie his shoe, letting his parents walk past them. He wondered what kind of person this Orihime was to get his parents so sad and yet, full of memory. He turned back to the grave to look at it one last time and gasped when he saw her.

He saw a woman, wearing a flowing white dress, standing behind the grave. The girl, no older than seventeen, smiled warmly at the little boy and waved. Kazui waved back before rubbing his eyes. When he opened them he saw that the girl was gone. He wondered if it was another ghost like the others he'd seen but knew that it was something else.

Hearing his mother call for him, Kazui stood up and ran back to his parents, never knowing that the woman he saw was the person who was so dear to them.

As the Kurosaki family walked away, the hairpins left on Orihime's grave glowed faintly before disappearing in a burst of golden light.

" _I'll never forget you either, Ichigo. And my love for you will never die."_

 _The End_


End file.
